- M
Note from Justine -updated 4-09-20 DURING COVID-19 CRISIS
Hello friends,
We want to acknowledge that these times are financially difficult for EVERYONE and update you on Stef’s current situation. She’s unable to work due to the quarantine and will continue to be "out of work" during URGENT & necessary surgeries.Reconstructive surgeries of her bladder and rectum will hopefully delay the prolapse of multiple organs and prevent the BLOOD LOSS she suffers from because of these issues.This surgery's outcome even with the best of care, is UNKNOWN.The reconstructive recovery WILL require prolonged hospital and nursing facility stays. These surgeries are NOT elective.
The repair of carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands ,as a wheelchair using paraplegic and a health practitioner are also imminent and necessary.
If you are unable to donate, completely understood. If you are able, we are grateful. Take care of yourselves and your loved ones. Sending love, Justine, Czesa and Elvie.
Please read on about who Stefanie IS! Her love for ALL people... her accomplishmnets against all odds, and the origins of this amazing campaign and what HAS been accomplished so far because of the outpouring of support we have seen for Stef!
Hey all, It’s Justine!
If you wish to stay informed please keep in touch by reading our GFM updates.
We are currently on the 2nd phase,working to make Stef's home SAFE, accessible and sustainable.. If you know Stef, you MAY know that SHE HAS defied the odds for over 40 years. Despite enormous hardship faced daily as a PARAPLEGIC. She continues in her joy in living . Possibly though, because of her OPTIMISM, INDEPENDENCE and the fact that she's
an "S.C.I. WALKER", likely you do NOT know her WHOLE STORY.
She is the survivor of catastrophic spinal cord injury.
YES! She is fun and optimistic! She loves life, her family & she loves her babies. She fiercely believes in the best in others. She is filled with faith, unwavering in her commitment to serve, to drop what she is doing and lend calm, assured objectivity to solve any problem.. pay loving attention, caring for those in need.
She has been MY rock and my mentor my entire life.
We continue to learn from each other and we are best friends.
It is also Stefanie's wish that in her willingness to be open AND to allow for her story to be told . It will help to form a more accurate picture of the practical profound lifetime effects of disability upon individuals and upon those who love and interact with them.
Here are some details of STEFANIE'S STORY :
In 1979 Stefanie Belson was 15 years old. She was in a car accident that changed the trajectory of her entire life.
Our friend and sister Stefanie, has been living as a paraplegic for OVER 40 years with ALL the struggle that entails. Her body continues to break down and she is reckoning with serious new health conditions. We have put this fundraiser into action to make improvements to her house, and to help her with the financial struggles that are too often the accepted prospect for those with lifelong disability.
We want to address the inevitable complex issues which are common to those aging with spinal cord injuries.
Thankfully, due to the generous hearts of donors, so far we raised enough money & received supplies to do the following:
windows were donated, and installed; bathroom fixtures and plumbing supplies were donated and installed for one of her bathrooms; and a compact washer/dryer were purchased.
Here are just some of things we would like to get accomplished with this round of fundraising.
• HVAC system
• Dry rot repair on both indoor and outdoor structures
• Master bathroom accessibility - Complete with your support - Thank You!
• Landscaping to make for a safe accessible yard
• Secure fencing repair and gate replacement
• Interior-exterior paint
• Back deck finished and brought up to safety code
She spends more time in a wheelchair while the interior and exterior of her home have become inaccessible.
Starting in in 1989 she built,from the bottom up a thriving healing arts practice & taught in the Waldorf community,supporting herself & her children which she continues despite the changes in her physical status (and in a workspace with no HVAC!)
As is the case in SCI, there have been MANY surgeries, with even MORE anticipated , the most imminent specifically colo-rectal reconstruction, as she is dealing with internal organ prolapse. Both shoulders have been repaired once already and a hip totally replaced. For those with SCI recovery from surgeries are much more complex and make necessary long healing times & skilled nursing care.
For those with living SCI ..... surgeries are stopgap measures to assist with quality of living and a measure of independence. They are not cure-alls
Though she is dedicated to her own health and wellness routines she WILL continue to face surgeries and repairs too numerous to list here to keep her mobile and intact.
These are just a few examples of the ongoing degeneration & medical narrative as she ages.
Bouts of Osteomylitis are a constant threat as she has a left heel ulcer developed from the pressure of the shearing forces of her prosthetics on a small area over a bony prominence that's encountered during the mechanics of walking. This progressed toward less heel pad for shock absorption contributing to complete tissue breakdown.
Bowel /Bladder care, health and maintenance are daily, wound care is a fact of her life, chronic kidney and bladder infections and continued musculoskeletal degeneration –
ALL increased daily barriers to Stefanie’s well being.
Stefanie has faced profound physical insecurities since she was 15.
We will ALL ONE DAY face physical insecurities as we age, however, persons with disabilities experience these medical, functional, and social complications much earlier than their non-disabled counterparts.
And so, this is where we are with Stef.
She is hitting this unenviable milestone right at a moment in history that we as a culture are reckoning with a very somber realization about the rapidly changing climate around healthcare and aging. In light of this uncertainty, each one of us has wondered;
"Where will help come from?"
The kind of help that each human needs will come from the hearts of those who love them.
We will all need kindness, human connection and compassion as we journey along in our own aging bodies, and we all hope to have those in our corner who can do this for us.
In this way, we realize that the help we give others .....also helps ourselves.
This fundraiser is not just about money. It is about the web that is woven through giving to others. One can give of their time or treasure or talent, but whatever the form, it is altruism & deeds of love that bind us together. Yes, we all fear the" wolf at the door", but for our dear friend Stefanie that wolf paces in the shadows of her daily experience.
Stefanie needs our help and here’s what we can do.
Use this website where donations can be made to Stefanie
(but she also wants you to know that there is an open invitation to talk to her directly)
– we welcome any phone calls or questions you may have or discussions of alternatives ways that you can help.
In Gratitude and with love,
Justine , Lisa, Rucha , Mary, Nancy & ALL the other family & friends
that have created
the Community of Goodwill
Hello friends,
We want to acknowledge that these times are financially difficult for EVERYONE and update you on Stef’s current situation. She’s unable to work due to the quarantine and will continue to be "out of work" during URGENT & necessary surgeries.Reconstructive surgeries of her bladder and rectum will hopefully delay the prolapse of multiple organs and prevent the BLOOD LOSS she suffers from because of these issues.This surgery's outcome even with the best of care, is UNKNOWN.The reconstructive recovery WILL require prolonged hospital and nursing facility stays. These surgeries are NOT elective.
The repair of carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands ,as a wheelchair using paraplegic and a health practitioner are also imminent and necessary.
If you are unable to donate, completely understood. If you are able, we are grateful. Take care of yourselves and your loved ones. Sending love, Justine, Czesa and Elvie.
Please read on about who Stefanie IS! Her love for ALL people... her accomplishmnets against all odds, and the origins of this amazing campaign and what HAS been accomplished so far because of the outpouring of support we have seen for Stef!
Hey all, It’s Justine!
If you wish to stay informed please keep in touch by reading our GFM updates.
We are currently on the 2nd phase,working to make Stef's home SAFE, accessible and sustainable.. If you know Stef, you MAY know that SHE HAS defied the odds for over 40 years. Despite enormous hardship faced daily as a PARAPLEGIC. She continues in her joy in living . Possibly though, because of her OPTIMISM, INDEPENDENCE and the fact that she's
an "S.C.I. WALKER", likely you do NOT know her WHOLE STORY.
She is the survivor of catastrophic spinal cord injury.
YES! She is fun and optimistic! She loves life, her family & she loves her babies. She fiercely believes in the best in others. She is filled with faith, unwavering in her commitment to serve, to drop what she is doing and lend calm, assured objectivity to solve any problem.. pay loving attention, caring for those in need.
She has been MY rock and my mentor my entire life.
We continue to learn from each other and we are best friends.
It is also Stefanie's wish that in her willingness to be open AND to allow for her story to be told . It will help to form a more accurate picture of the practical profound lifetime effects of disability upon individuals and upon those who love and interact with them.
Here are some details of STEFANIE'S STORY :
In 1979 Stefanie Belson was 15 years old. She was in a car accident that changed the trajectory of her entire life.
Our friend and sister Stefanie, has been living as a paraplegic for OVER 40 years with ALL the struggle that entails. Her body continues to break down and she is reckoning with serious new health conditions. We have put this fundraiser into action to make improvements to her house, and to help her with the financial struggles that are too often the accepted prospect for those with lifelong disability.
We want to address the inevitable complex issues which are common to those aging with spinal cord injuries.
Thankfully, due to the generous hearts of donors, so far we raised enough money & received supplies to do the following:
windows were donated, and installed; bathroom fixtures and plumbing supplies were donated and installed for one of her bathrooms; and a compact washer/dryer were purchased.
Here are just some of things we would like to get accomplished with this round of fundraising.
• HVAC system
• Dry rot repair on both indoor and outdoor structures
• Master bathroom accessibility - Complete with your support - Thank You!
• Landscaping to make for a safe accessible yard
• Secure fencing repair and gate replacement
• Interior-exterior paint
• Back deck finished and brought up to safety code
She spends more time in a wheelchair while the interior and exterior of her home have become inaccessible.
Starting in in 1989 she built,from the bottom up a thriving healing arts practice & taught in the Waldorf community,supporting herself & her children which she continues despite the changes in her physical status (and in a workspace with no HVAC!)
As is the case in SCI, there have been MANY surgeries, with even MORE anticipated , the most imminent specifically colo-rectal reconstruction, as she is dealing with internal organ prolapse. Both shoulders have been repaired once already and a hip totally replaced. For those with SCI recovery from surgeries are much more complex and make necessary long healing times & skilled nursing care.
For those with living SCI ..... surgeries are stopgap measures to assist with quality of living and a measure of independence. They are not cure-alls
Though she is dedicated to her own health and wellness routines she WILL continue to face surgeries and repairs too numerous to list here to keep her mobile and intact.
These are just a few examples of the ongoing degeneration & medical narrative as she ages.
Bouts of Osteomylitis are a constant threat as she has a left heel ulcer developed from the pressure of the shearing forces of her prosthetics on a small area over a bony prominence that's encountered during the mechanics of walking. This progressed toward less heel pad for shock absorption contributing to complete tissue breakdown.
Bowel /Bladder care, health and maintenance are daily, wound care is a fact of her life, chronic kidney and bladder infections and continued musculoskeletal degeneration –
ALL increased daily barriers to Stefanie’s well being.
Stefanie has faced profound physical insecurities since she was 15.
We will ALL ONE DAY face physical insecurities as we age, however, persons with disabilities experience these medical, functional, and social complications much earlier than their non-disabled counterparts.
And so, this is where we are with Stef.
She is hitting this unenviable milestone right at a moment in history that we as a culture are reckoning with a very somber realization about the rapidly changing climate around healthcare and aging. In light of this uncertainty, each one of us has wondered;
"Where will help come from?"
The kind of help that each human needs will come from the hearts of those who love them.
We will all need kindness, human connection and compassion as we journey along in our own aging bodies, and we all hope to have those in our corner who can do this for us.
In this way, we realize that the help we give others .....also helps ourselves.
This fundraiser is not just about money. It is about the web that is woven through giving to others. One can give of their time or treasure or talent, but whatever the form, it is altruism & deeds of love that bind us together. Yes, we all fear the" wolf at the door", but for our dear friend Stefanie that wolf paces in the shadows of her daily experience.
Stefanie needs our help and here’s what we can do.
Use this website where donations can be made to Stefanie
(but she also wants you to know that there is an open invitation to talk to her directly)
– we welcome any phone calls or questions you may have or discussions of alternatives ways that you can help.
In Gratitude and with love,
Justine , Lisa, Rucha , Mary, Nancy & ALL the other family & friends
that have created
the Community of Goodwill